Evaporator



J. C. MILLER.

EVAPOBATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1918.

1 ,4 1 5,255,. Patented y 9, 1922.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

J. C. MILLER.

EYAPORATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10'. 1913.

1,41 5,255 Patnted. May 9, 1922.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3. 33

JV/forn eyks.

, To all whom it may concern:

UNHTEEEI) res t rtar rare.

JOHN C. MILLER, OF CO'VING'ION, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR TO THE EVAPORATING/AND.

- DRYING MACHINERY COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A COREO'RATION OF OHIO.

EVAPORATOR.

Application filed May 10,

Be it known that 1, JOHN C. MILLER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Covington, in the county of Kenton and State of Kentucky, have invented certain. new and useful Improvements in Evaporators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

The object of my invention to provide an apparatus in which liquids of various kinds can be continuously treated to remove a considerable portion of the moisture and,

to condense the liquid to a more or less semisolid condition. My invention is particularly directed to the preliminary treatment of liquids which are subsequently to be dried to a powdery condition, whereby the moisture in the liquid may be to a considerable extent withdrawn prior to subjecting the material to the drying process. The evaporator therefore is intended to be used for the most part in connection with drying apparatus, although it will be understood that for certain liquids the apparatus can also be used for removing the moisture to any extent desired, and that by designing the apparatus of suflicient length the evaporator could .be utilizedfor the removal of moisture to the extent of reducing the material treated to a dry or powdery form.

I have illustrated my apparatus, however, as particularly applicable to preliminary treatment of liquids as above set forth.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a side-elevation of my improved apparatus, with the air casing in section.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the right hand end of the apparatus as shown in Figure 1, with the enclosing chamber and air scraper. I

- Figure 6 is a cross section taken on the line 6, 6, of'Fi ure 1.

My pre erred construction of evaporating apparatus comprises a cylinder horizontally" mounted to be rotated at a very high rate of speed, with the cylinder increasing slightly Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 9, 192 2. 1913. Serial No. 233,744. I

brackets 4, 4, in which is fixed a stationary shaft 6. The evaporating cylinder 10 is mounted by spokes 7, 8, at each. end in the manner to be hereinafter described to the hubs 13,- 13, formed with hollow spaces 17, and these hubs are journaled in journal boxes '51 on the upper ends of the standards. The hubs 18 are mounted on the stationary shaft 6 by the long sleeves 16, which are screwthreaded tightly in the inside of the hubs and extend outwardly through the boxes 5, 5,

fixed on the brackets 4, 4. The boxes 5, 5,

are provided with a hollow space 21 which is in communication with the hollow space 17 of the hubs-through the passageways '18 in the tube 19 which is screwthreaded into the box 5. To prevent leaking around the hubs 13, I provide stufling boxes 15 between the tube19, and the outer end of the hubs, while to prevent leaking from the hollow spaces 21 in the boxes 5, I provide the stufling boxes 20 around the sleeve 16. Mounted outside the evaporating cylinder 10 and spaced apart therefrom by the rings 22 at each end, is a similar cylinder 9 which leaves a space 12' between the two cylinders. Communication is had with this annular space 12 for steam or hot water through the alternate spokes 7, 7, at' each end of the cylinder. These spokes arescrewthreaded through the ring 22, so as to open into the hollow space 17, and at the outer end they are screwed through the spacing rings so as to open through the rings, and at these points the metal bf the outer cylinder is expanded at 23 outwardly so as to leavespace 24 opening into the steam space 12. The alternate spokes 8, 8, are solid and screwed respectively into the hubs 13 and the spacing rings 22,- and on these spokes 8, 8, wings 28 are secured slightly inclined so as to form fans to drive air through thecylinder.

To utilize the heat of the outside cylinder 9 in connectionwith these air blasts through the cylinder, Iprovide a cylindrical cover 52 for the apparatus, shown in section in Figures 1, 4 and 6. This cylindrical cover terminates a short distance from the end of the cylinder and is closed at the intake end of the cylinder and held in fixed position in the framework.

Surrounding the discharge end of the cylinder is a stationary casing 33, which is mounted in the standards and forms a trough to collect the material discharged from the cylinder. This casing is provided with a draw-off pipe 36 at its lower end. At the intake end the cylinder is provided with an inwardly extending flange 53, and between this'flange and the spokes the liquid to be treated is supplied through the pipe 38.

. Either steam or hot water, depending on the amount of evaporation desired, is introduced into the space 12 by the pipe 27 which communicates with the space 21 in the box 5, and

- thence through the tube 19 into the hollow hubs, thence through the spokes 7 into the space 12 and out through the hollow spokes and hollow hub at the discharge end.

In order to prevent the liquid under treatment from becoming overheated and the material burning and adhering to the inner surface of the cylinder, it must be constantly stirred, as it were, and for this reason I provide a scraper 32, which is pivotally mounted in the outer end of fixed arms 31, 31, which are clamped on the shaft 6. This scraper is so mounted that its scraping edge will lie in close contact withthecylindrical surface, and as the cylinder increases in diameter slightly from the intake to the discharge end, the scraper is made to conform to this increase in diameter.

The cylinder, spokes and hubs are driven at a high rate of speed by the pulley 25 which is keyed on the hub 14, which receives its power from a belt 26 from the power plant, not shown, or the apparatus may be rotated by any other convenient means.

As the cylinder isrotated at a very high rate of speed, the liquid under treatment when scraped off the cylinder by the scraper 32, would be thrown upwardly in an unbroken sheet. To prevent this and to compel the liquid to fall back into the cylinder a short distance below the scraper, in order that as the cylinder rotates, the material may be subjected to the heated surface substantially throughout the circumference of the cylinder, I provide a curved shield 34, which is mounted on the back of the scraper and receives the sheet of liquid discharged by the scraper and compels it to drop down immediately below the scraping surfaces.

The material to be evaporated, as I have said, isfed in athin stream to pipe 38 into the lower end'ofthe intake of the cylinder just within the flange 53 outside of the spokes 7 and 8. Not only is the cylinder heated to a high degree by the steam or hot water surrounding the same and in constant circulation through the intake pipe 27 and the outlet pipe 30, but the air current forced by the fans 28 through the cylinder takes in its air from the discharge end at 54, whence it passes over the highly heated outer cylinder 9, thus furnishing blasts of highly heated air and utilizing the heat of the steam jacket which radiates from the outer surface, which otherwise would be wasted.

In order to confine and carry away the moisture evaporated, I prefer to enclose the discharge end of the machine in a closed chamber 40, with a hooded roof 41 and escape pipe 42. This room is provided with a hinged door 43, for convenient access.

I have illustrated the evaporated material as being collected in a bucket, but of course it may be pumped to any convenient receptacle, or discharged by pipe directly into any uitable drying machine, if a dry and powdery condition of the material is desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is i 1. In an evaporating apparatus, the combination of an open cylinder of slightly and uniforml increasing diameter from one end to the other, so proportioned that a high rate of speed will draw an attenuated film through the cylinder, with a closed concentric cylinder attached to and enclosing the same to form a heating compartment, means for providing a continuous circulation of heating medium through said compartment, means for rotating the open cylinder at a high rate of speed, and a scraper fixed With relation to the open cylinder to continuously stir the 'liquid under treatment, and a fixed cylindrical trough surrounding the open end of the cylinder for collecting the evaporated liquid delivered by centrifugal force from the larger end of the open cylinder.

2. In an evaporating apparatus, the combination of an open cylinder of slightly greater diameter at one end than the other, with a closed concentric cylinder attached to and enclosing the same to form a heating compartment, means for providing a continuous. circulation of heating medium through said compartment, means for rotating the open cylinder. at a high rate of speed, and a scraper fixed with relation to the open cylinder to continuously stir the liquid under treatment, and means for collecting the evaporated liquid delivered by centrifugal force from the larger end of the open cylinder, and fan blades fixed across said open cylinder attached thereto and rotating therewith to drive a continuous current of air therethrough.

3. In an evaporating apparatus, the combination of an open cylinder of slightly greater diameter at one end than the other,

with a closed concentric cylinder attached to and enclosing the same to form a heating compartment, means for providing a continuous circulation of heating medium through said compartment, means for rotating the open cylinder at a high rate of speed, and a scraper fixed with relation to the open cylinder to continuously stir the liquid under treatment, and means for collecting the evaporated liquid delivered by centrifugal force from the larger end of the open cylinder, and fan blades fixed across said open cylinder attached thereto and rotating therewith to drive a continuous current of air therethrough, with a casing open at its forward end and surrounding the outer cylinder whereby the air may be heated by the heating medium.

4. In an evaporating apparatus, the combination of an open cylinder of slightly greater diameter at one end than the other, with a closed concentric cylinder attached to and'enclosing the same to form a heating compartment, hollow hubs for said cylinders, with hollow spokes forming passageways between the hollow hubs and the heating compartment at each end, means for supplying and withdrawing to and from said hubs a continuous stream of heating medium, means for rotating the open cylinder at a high rate of speed, and a scraper fixed with relation to the open cylinder to continuously stir the liquid under treatment, and means for collecting the evaporated liquid delivered by centrifugal force from the larger end of the open cylinder.

5. In an evaporating apparatus, the combination of an open cylinder of slightly and uniformly increasing diameter from one end to the other, with a closed, concentric cylinder attached to and enclosing the sameto form a heating compartment, means for providing a continuous circulation of heating medium through said compartment, means for rotating the open cylinder at a high rate of'speed, and a scraper fixed with relation to the open cylinder-to continuously stir the liquid under treatment, said scraper provided with' a shield to deflect the stirred liquid from its path over the scraper, and means for collecting the evaporated liquid delivered by centrifugal force from the larger-end of the open Iplylinder.

JO N C. MILLER. 

